Assemblywoman Nell Soto, the 81 year-old Democrat from the San Gabriel Valley, hasn't been in Sacramento since at least September. She has been out ill. She also hasn't filed the papers to run again, and with Friday the deadline for incumbents to declare, there's activity among those who wish to succeed her. From the Sacramento Bee:

Besides missing every legislative session since September, she was absent for several months in 2007 and has not been present for a single hearing of the powerful Joint Legislative Audit Committee, an investigating arm of the Legislature, which she ostensibly chairs.

Mike Lewis, a Soto campaign spokesman, said “if you asked Nell she’d say yeah, she’s raring to go.”

But Soto’s physician is urging more caution and, perhaps, retirement, he said.

"She needs to get on the same page as her doctor,” Lewis added. “The doctor is concerned about the stress of the travel and what the stress is going to do to her.”

The Foothill Cities blog has been covering the Soto saga, and in addition to one of the most handsome banners around, has also done a nice job visualizing by zip code the campaign contributions to Pasadena mayor Bill Bogaard.